Bangladesh: A democracy turning sour?

The general election held in Bangladesh on January 5th was a textbook example of a ballot turned sour: the country's opposition parties stood as one as they boycotted the vote. Only 30% of the electorate turned out to the polls amid accusations of electoral fraud. Street protests escalated into violence, with dozens of people shot dead by the police. The Bangladesh of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina appears to be sliding slowly towards an autocracy.